On Tuesday, Bank of America (BofA) – the second largest bank in the US – made a surprise announcement that it was significantly reducing its overdraft fees. BofA slashed the fees from $35 to just $10, while also scrapping a $12 non-sufficient funds fee and eliminating transfer fees for its overdraft protection service. Other large banks have followed suit recently, with Capital One eliminating overdraft fees altogether, JPMorgan increasing its charge-incurring overdraft amount to $50, and PNC Bank introducing a 24-hour grace period on overdraft penalties.

It’s no secret that banks make significant amounts of money from overdraft fees. In fact, major banks are estimated to make about$15.5 a billion per year from these charges alone – with about 80% of those earnings coming from just 9% of customers who get charged repeatedly for overdrafts. This reduction in fees by BofA is clearly intended to stay competitive with other large banks and reduce customer dissatisfaction over costly banking charges.

However, as great as this move may be for consumers who find themselves frequently incurring expensive overdrafts, how will this affect BofA’s bottom line? After all, being one of the largest banks in the country means taking in considerable revenue from these fees. To fully understand the impact of this reduction on BofA’s profits we must look at their current revenue sources and also compare their new pricing structure to competitors’.

Currently, BofA brings in around 40% of its total deposits from consumer checking accounts – which account for most of the overdraft revenue generated by banks. While they still expect to generate substantial income even after cutting these fees down considerably, BofA is likely running the risk that some customers may switch to cheaper products offered by other financial institutions if they feel they aren’t getting enough value out of their current accounts. Therefore, it may be necessary for them to invest more heavily in marketing campaigns or rewards programs to attract customers back or keep them loyal.

Furthermore, it’s important to remember that while many other banks have also reduced their own costs recently, none have dropped them as low as BofA’s new rate – making it an appealing option for many consumers looking for less expensive banking solutions. As such, it may be difficult for other institutions to compete on price without sacrificing profits themselves – although many have already implemented additional resources such as 24-hour grace periods or online notifications when accounts start reaching their limit in order to better serve customers who are likely more sensitive about costs now than ever before.

Overall, it appears that Bank of America’s decision to drastically reduce its overdraft fees has been beneficial both for them and their customers alike; by staying competitive with other large financial institutions and offering more attractive banking solutions at lower prices than ever before – it looks like everyone wins in this case!